Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-03-10
THE CITY OF AZUSA.
A Large Plan of Operations
Decided Upon.
A BEAUTIFUL SITE SELECTED.
The Directors of the .AZusa Land
and Water Company in
Council.


The 1896 morning train Tuesday on
the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley
railroad leaped out of the fog that had
camped over night in the city and was
soon in the high, warm uplands of the
San Gabriel valley, in the favored fruit
belt of America. Among the passengers
were the following officers and stock hol.
ders of the Azusa Land and Water Com
pany, embracing the President, Mr.. j.
s. Slauson; j. Slauson, Secretary, and
the following Directors: Hon. j. d. Bick-
nell, J. M. Davies, r. C. Howes aud l.
E. Hall. The train, drawn by locorno.
tive No. 3, flew through Highland Park,
GarvanzJ, Lincoln Park and South and
North Pasadena with trium phant
flight, past Olivewood, Lamanda Park,
Santa Anita, Monrovia, Duarte and then
started for the end of the track, ratiling
over the numerous new strong bridges
over the San Gabriel and it's branches,
till the farther side and the end OF the
track were reached.
At that point large number OF men
were at work laying track, distributing
ties and rails, while on beyond gang
of thirty five men were grading a bed
for the approaching track. Here MIR.
Slauson had arranged team to convey
the directors and guests, including the
son of Mr.. Davies and representative
of the HERALD, who has attended more
christening of townsites than any other
person in the county, through the trails
in the chappairAl to tn, central portion
of the great Azusa Rancho, the proper
of the Azusa Land and Water Company,
consisting of 1000 acres of choice fruit
and grain lard
This magnificent domain lies twenty.
two miles northeast OF Los Angeles, On
the east side of the San Gabriel river,
where it emerges from the Sierra Madie
mountains. IL is about two and half
miles square. and slopes gradually 10
the south in most perfect manner foI
irrigation.
The soil is mellow and deep, and con.
sists of sandy and gravelly loan, with
large amount of vegetable mold in it.,
composition. 1t is well protected from
winds, is from 500 to 900 feet above the
sea. and has a temperature about 10 de.
grees above that of the city of Los An
geles.
Part of this grand tract of land was
patented many years ago to Henry Dal-
ton, and part OF it was railroad land.
The land extends along the base of the
mountains, taking in the upper portion
of the great Covina ditch, from which it
has fine water right on the highest
part of the land. The eastern portion
takes in the old Dalton vineyard and
orchard and the old adobe dwellings
built generation ago, and extends
down to the Centro schoolhouse at the
south end. The western boundary is
the San Gabriel river.
The company has water right in the
San Gabriel cafion, below the Covina
ditch, and will bring this out on the
tract in a cemented ditch into series
of reservoirs, from which iron pipes will
convey it down over the land along the
great avenues 100 feet in width.
There will be abundant water-power
for making Il ,ctric light and for running
the machinery of a panning.mill and
lumber factory, which will there be estab.
lished.s
SANITARY FEATURE.
The Directors contemplate having a
CITY of 10000 persons in q few years,
a ID in view of that fact will be wise in
time and lay a sewer of cement down
the great central avenue when the road
is being graded. This new feature will
outrank in wisdom all other new settle
ments, and the cost will be trfing to
each purchaser of lot and will be an
inducement to settlers 10 purchase
there. In this plan Azusa leads all the
rest of her sister colonies.
After q careful examination of the
land yesterday it was decided to locaIe
the business city on the line of the l. s
Angeles and San Gabriel Valley railroad
about half mile or little more from
the base of the mountains, and three
quarters of a mile west of the old Dalton
yineyard. A strip of land 1000 feet
long and $50 feet wide will be allotted
for railroad buildings and tracks near the
center of the townsite of $40 acres.
The central avenues, east and west and
north and south, will be devoted to
business purposes; next will be lots 5Ox
$50 feet for residence places; and around
these two and a half, five, ten and
twenty acre fields will be sold for villas
and orchards aud vineyards. As this
land is the finest kind of s,il for citrus
fruits and raisin grapes it is quite likely
that it will SION be known as o great
point of shipment for oranges, wine and
raisins.
At the rate the track of the railway is
being laid it is supposed that the cars
will run into Azusa inside of two weeks.
All the officers were delighted with the
location of the townsite and enthusiastic
in praise and admiration of the noble
property. Azusa now claims rank
among the new colonies of Southern
California.